Pressure-reducing valve



Y i lW. WJ ROBINSON I j PRESSURE REDUGING VALVE Filed July 18. 1921 Sheets-Sheet .1 l Z I ,l Z 71% z//f #-1 l v Z0 'g1 ,ef

I z" @j uh i6 J0 J0 65g'. fr m f, v mllumw -V I 66 656i. @o 66 i VH g I l Juny 222 1924. 1,502,212 l w. w. vRoBlNso'N PRESSURE REDUCING VALVE Filed July 1g, 1921 2 sheets-sheer. 2

Patented July 22, 1924.

WALTER W'. ROBINSON, OF BELOIT, VISCONSN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF' TO BENJAMIN F. LYONS, 0F BEL-OIT, W'ISCONSIN.

PRESSURE-REDUGING VALVE.

Application led July 18,

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, VALTER 'W. RoiNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pressure-Reducing Valves, of which the following is a specification.

These improvements relate to automatic valve means adapted to be positioned in fluid pressure pipe line for providing a high pressure side and a low pressure side therein. Such devices have various practical applications, for instance in refrigerating systems.

The principal object of the present improvements is to provide an efficient pressure-reducing valve according to simple, relatively cheap, strong and durable construction. A specific object is to avoid a plurality of joints to be packed against leakage, and to provide a construction in which there is but one such joint, and importantly, a single joint which is on the low pressure side of the valve. Another specific object is to provide a construction according to which the desired adjustments for regulating the action of the device under different condi tions may be, easily and readily accom plished. i

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a medial vertical section through theidevice complete; Fig. 2 is a similar section at right angles to that of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the broken line 3-3 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan of the device; and Figs. 5 to 18 inclusive are details of the construction, Fig. 16 being in sectional view as in Fig. 2, and Fig. 18 showing partly in section an assembly of several of the parts.

The structure thus illustrated includes a casing consisting of two principal parts, the main body part 2O being shown as a circular integral, unitary metallic block, bored and tapped at 21to'receive apipe for conducting high fluid' pressure toy the valve and being also bored and tapped at 22, for holding a pipe for carrying low pressure from the device. reduced boring at 23, and one at 24 `at right angles thereto is made constitutingA part of the highv pressure passageway `f or Iintake part, and the passageway 24 opens into an interior Cylindrical Glfmmberv .25 terres@ @S 21.

' having projections 192i'. serial No. 435,783.

recess in one side of the block 2O and acs commodating various operative parts. From this chamber 25 a passageway'26 is made opening into the extension 27 of the lowpressure pipe connection or outlet part at 22. There is thus a passageway through the device, which passageway is at all places within the integral block or metallic Lbody 2O of the device.

Where the relatively small passageway 24 enters the chamber 25 the opening is recessed to accommodate the steel ball 29 with a tight lit, thus forming a ball-valve construction at this place. The ball 29.is loosely held in a hole 30 in a metallic plate 31 which has riveted to it a ball-retaining plate 32, the rivets 38 (Fig. 1) extending through the holes 84 and 85 (Figs. 7 and 6) and being headed at 37 Fig. 1) to form a fulcrum for the laminated plate or lever 31--32 whereby this lever may rock. The retaining plate 32 holds the ball 29 in its operative position, and the plate 551-32 is formed in two parts merely for convenience in manufacture.

Theball 29 is forced 'against its valve seat byA a cylindrical plunger 40 (Figs. 1 and 9) loosely fitting in the hole 41 of the plate or lever 42. A leaf spring 4S (Figs. 1 and 12) presses against the plunger 40, this pressure being lcomrminicated v through the plate 32 to the ball 29. The spring 43 is held by a pair of rivets 44 (one thereof being shown in full lines in Fig. 1) to a circular plate 45 (Figs. 1 and 17), which plate 45 is held in an annular recess at 46 in the body 20.

The circular plate 45 carries a pair of frames 48 and 49 (Figs. 10 and 11) secured thereto in spaced-apart relation byriveting through the holes 47, ther frames 48 and` 49 50 Vdirected toward each other at oney end and similar projections 51 at the other end. these projections be ing adapted to overlie the plate 42. The plate or lever 31-32 lits loosely betweenthe projections (Fig. 2) which act as guides for the member. j j

From Fig. 18 it will clearly appear that the distance from the plate 45 to the under surface of a projection 50is less than" the r distance from the plate 45'to the under sur- -face of'a projection 51. The plate 42v rests i Fig-2.

its other end portin. rlhe adjusting screw 56 carried by the plate 42 and easily reached through the hole 57 l(Figs. 1 and 17) bears against the lever 31-32, and thus when the right hand en-dv of the lever 42, as illustrated, moves upward the right hand end of the lever 31-32 is similarly moved upward," this lever 31-32 being rocked on the fulcrum 37, the left hand end of the lever 81--32 being' lowered, forcing the spring 43 downward, relieving the pressure Yagainst the ball 29 and opening the valve there, the levers 8l and 4l forming a system of levers provi-ding acompound movement by which the moven'ient of the valve v29 is increased er decreased a relatively great amount when the diaphragm is moved a relatively small amount.

Another part of the casing is the circular `plate 60 which .is formed to lit upon the main body p art 20, and is held thereon by a'plurality of bolts 61, the two parts of thefcasing 20 and 60 being surfaced at 62 and a packing gasket being interposed between the two casing parts there. This joint at 62 is the only one required to be packed against leakage, and since this joint is on the low-pressure side of the device the danger of leakage there is reduced to the minimum.

The main casing 2O is annularly recessed at 63 to accommodate a gasket washer 64 against which lies a metallic diaphragm 65, tlie casing plate 6() having' an annular and surfaced projection at 66 adapted to hold the diaphragm tightly against the y washer 64, the diaphragm being spaced from.

the plate'45 and from the casing plate 60, `as well illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. This diaphragm covers and closes the recess or chamber 25. Loosely resting on the diaphragm 65 and fitting loosely in the hole 71 'j (F ig. 17) of the plate l45 is a disc-like button 68 having a central stud 69 projecting through the hole 7() 12) of the spring 43 and into contact with the lever 42.

' The casing plate or cover 60 (Fig. 16) is recessed at r72 to accommodate loosely the disc 73 14), and the plate is further Vbored at 74 to accommodate loosely the cylindrical stem75 (Fig. 15) having across piece 76 in the form of a cylindrical rod Yextending slightly beyond the outer end of the cylinder 75, as well to be seen from A leaf spring 78 (shown in double form) is held a6 its ends by a pair of stud bolts 80 threaded into the body 20, and the pi.`essure .of `the spring 78 is adjustable by lmea'nsof nuts 81.

`-With this understanding of the construction-the Operation .may .be pointed out' as v4'follofwsz/Gonsider theavailable high .pres- "'for "instance vone hundred andl fifty .pounds :per Y,squareinch to .be v.conducted to rtlieuvlvelby'a pipe threaded into the main casing at 21, andsupposealso that itbe desired to deliver a low pressure of say twenty pounds per square inch to the pipe leading from the device at 22. The high-pressure passageway 24 being quite small, say for insta-nce three thirty-seconds of an inch or less in diameter, a. comparatively low pressure by the leaf spring 43 will maintain the ball 29against its seat and prevent the high pressure from entering the main chamber 25. The pressure of the external leaf spring 78 is so adj ust-ed that the desired fluidpressure within the valve of saytwenty poundsper square inch is just sufcientto flex the .dia-

phragmV 65 slightly in the outward direction against the force of the spring 78. The adjusting screw 56 contacts the composite plate 31-32 when the diaphragm isV 'thus outwardly bowed. As soon as the lowy pressure falls below the desiredamount of twenty pounds per ysquare inchthe external spring 7 8 forces the diaphragm-65 in theinward direction, Y,this motion. being communicated through the stud 69 to the lever42,

whichlever is free to move only at the end thereof carrying the screw 56, the screw 56 then rocking the lever 81-32 on thefulcrum 37, the cylindrical plunger 40 being forced downward, thus removing the pressure of the spring' 43 from the lball 29 and permit-y ting the ball to fall or be forced away from its seat, thus opening the valve for the admission of high pressure tothe chamber 25. The effect of such `an admission of high pressure is again to force the` diaphragm 65 outwardly, thus allowing the spring I43 again to exert its pressure upon the plunger 40 `and ball, 29, thus closing the valve.

Since the diaphragm 65 has a relatively large area, a relatively low fluid pressure upon it will overcome a considerablezpressure upon the external spring 78,'and since the internal spring `43 maybe `of a strength which is far in' excess of that required to maintain the-ball valve closed, providedits i strength, is not equal to that of thespring 78, it is apparent that the same device `is adapted for use in the control of pressures, both high and low, throughout a considerable range.' Reducing thepressure vof the. external spring 78 by slightly retractingjthe nuts 81 will reducethe pressure in the low pressure side of the system, while increasing this spring pressure will increase the fluid pressure in the low .pressure side. Therad-f; justment of the screw `56 isrequired -onlyin the beginning when the proper operative relation is made-between the `diaphragm and .construction illustrated and described, Vand reference should be had tothe ,appended .claims to determine, the scape-ofthe imprena- ,ments herein setJ fsrth, v f' iso 1. In a pressure-reducing valve, the combination of an integral casing part having a main inner chamber in the form of a recess from one side of the casing part, there being an inlet port and an outlet port in communication with said chamber, a removable closure for the main chamber, a valve for opening and closing the passageway from the inlet port to said chamber, spring means arrangedto operate in a direction against the pressure from said inlet port for normally maintaining said valve closed against the pressure from said inlet port, a diaphragm between said casing part and said closure, spring means for forcing the diaphragm inwardly against the low pressure normally within said chamber, and operative connections including a pair of levers providing a compound movement between said diaphragm and said valve for opening the valve a relatively great amount against its spring pressure in response to spring pressure moving the diaphragm a relatively small amount.

2. In a pressure-reducing valve, the combination of a casing forming an inner chamber, said casing having an intake passageway and an outlet passageway in communication with said chamber, a valve for closing the intake passageway, spring means arranged to operate in a direction against the pressure from the intake passageway for normally maintaining said valveain its passageway-closing position against the high pressure of the intake passageway, a diaphragm within said chamber, spring means externally of said diaphragm for forcing it inwardly, and a system of levers under the control of the diaphragm providing a compound movement for relieving the pressure of said valve-closing spring means to a relatively great extent when the low pressure in said chamber rises slightly beyond a predetermined amount.

3. In a pressure-reducing valve having an intake port and an outlet port, the combination of a valve for closing the inlet port, spring means for normally maintaining said valve closed, a lever having a fulcrum intermediate its ends and arranged to relieve the valve of such spring pressure when the lever is rocked in one direction, a second lever having a fulcrum at one end and arranged to rock said first-mentioned lever in valveopening direction when the secondly-mentioned lever is moved in one direction, a diaphragm, means between the diaphragm and said secondly-mentioned lever for moving the secondly-mentioned lever when the diaphragm is moved in one direction, and spring means on the other side of said diaphragm from that of said valve operating means for moving the diaphragm in levermoving direction.

4. In a pressure-reducing valve, the combination of a unitary casing part having a recess in one side forming a low pressure chamber, said casing part having an inlet port and an outlet port in communication with said chamber, the inlet port being relatively small, a diaphragm closing the open side of said chamber, a plate-like closure removably secured upon said casing part and overlying said diaphragm, packing between said plate-like closure and said casing part to form a tight joint, a spring-controlled valve within said chamber for maintaining said inlet port closed against the high pressure thereof, means within the chamber and operatively associated with the diaphragm for opening the valve when the diaphragm is moved inwardly, a leaf spring adjustably secured externally of said plate-like closure, and connecting means between the diaphragm and said last-mentioned spring.

5. In a pressure-reducing valve, the combination of a casing having a hollow interior open at one side, the casing having an inlet port and an outlet port in communication with said hollow interior, a diaphragm closing the open side of said casing, a removable cover overlying the diaphragm and secured to said casing with a tight joint, spring-controlled valve means within said hollow interior for maintaining the intake port closed against the high pressure thereof, means within said hollow interior and under the control of said diaphragm for opening said valve when the diaphragm is moved inwardly, and spring means external of the diaphragm for moving the diaphragm in said valve-opening direction against the low pressure within the chamber.

WALTER W. ROBINSON. 

